Reading Passage 1

READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based
on Reading Passage 1.
 IELTS Reading Practice Test 64 with Answer Key

 IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test 21 in 2017 with Answer Key
POLLUTING SOUNDS: IN SEARCH OF SILENCE
In a self-imposed solitary confinement, 22-year old Tom Wonnacott, a

Princeton graduate student, spent four days lying in a lightless, sound-
proofed isolation chamber. Unable to see or hear, he also wore thick gloves
to restrict his sense of touch. Wonnacott volunteered to undergo this
experience to help US-based psychologists find out what happens to people
isolated from the outside world and deprived of the normal use of their
senses. While over a longer period of time such extremes of silence in
conjunction with sensory deprivation are harmful, there are many today who
are in search of quieter areas.
An over-abundance of noise has always been a significant environmental

issue for man. In ancient Rome, rules existed to ensure that the noise emitted
from the large iron wheels of wagons which rolled over the stones on the
pavements and caused disruption of sleep and annoyance was minimised by
allowing people to travel only during certain times. The same rules existed in
Medieval Europe. To ensure inhabitants were given the best chance at a
peaceful night’s sleep, in some cities, horse-drawn carriages and horseback
riding were not allowed at night time. However when today’s noise problems
arc compared with the noise pollution problems of the past they are almost
incomparable.
An immense number of vehicles of various shapes and sizes are regularly

driven around and through most of the world’s cities and countrysides. Loud,
large diesel engines power the enormous trucks that roll around highways
day and night. Aircraft and trains add to the environmental noise scenario.
In industry, machinery emits high noise levels and amusement parks and
pleasure vehicles distract leisure time and relaxation. One hundred years
ago, environmental experts predicted that in the 21st century there would be
a shortage of water and silence. They were correct. Silence is scarce. More
and more silence is drowned out by sound.
A lack of knowledge about the effects of noise pollution on humans in

comparison to other pollutants has been lacking as an area of research.
Although it has been generally regarded that noise pollution is primarily a
‘luxury’ problem – for those developed countries able to afford the purchase
price of large quantities of loud, noisy machinery – it is actually a fact that
due to bad planning and poor construction of buildings, noise exposure is
often higher in developing countries. This means that regardless of the
economic status of a particular country, the effects of noise are just as
widespread and the long-term consequences for health the same. Therefore,
practical action plans based upon proper scientific evaluation of available
data on the effects of noise exposure, with the express purpose of limiting
and controlling the exposure of people to environmental noise is a most
worthwhile undertaking.
It has been well established that exposure to loud noises for extended periods
of time causes trauma to the inner ear and often results in irreversible
hearing loss. When it initially receives sound, the human ear actually
amplifies it by a factor of 20. In 1965, in a remote part of Ghana, scientists
went about studying the impact of ‘insignificant’ exposure to industrial noise
and transportation. In tandem, the Ghanese group was compared with a
control group in industrial USA. A number of startling conclusions were
drawn from the experiments. For example, both locations revealed that aging
is an almost insignificant cause of hearing loss. Instead it was show-n that
chronic exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise led to
hearing loss. Cardiovascular complaints also emerged from among those
with prolonged exposure to industrial noise above 70 dBA. In fact, over a
single eight-hour period, it was shown that participants experienced a rise in
blood pressure thus indicating noise pollution contributes to human stress
levels. If this was not alarming enough, also noted was an increase in the
incidence of heart disease.
The findings from various noise studies had the effect of changing the
perspectives of many of the world’s governments. Whereas noise had been
considered a ‘nuisance’ rather than an environmental problem, laws were
made to protect citizens against it. In the United States and Ghana, federal
standards for highway and aircraft noise were introduced. State
governments created noise regulations pertaining to building codes, urban
planning and road construction. In Canada and the EU, noise laws are the
domain of local governments. Activities in those countries deemed
mandatory such as the collection of rubbish or some medical services are the
only allowed exceptions to what otherwise are quiet local neighbourhood
zones.
Typically, quiet times in neighbourhoods are between 6am and 10pm with
restricted higher decibel levels after these hours. What happens if these quite
times are violated? Unfortunately, the enforcement of noise laws has proven
problematic for many local governments with enforcement agencies often
not following up on noise complaints. For persistent nuisances, individuals
may seek compensation through the local courts and in some cities, police
are authorised to impound such things as stereos and cars. These are extreme
cases; most issues are handled by negotiation between the emitter and the
receiver.
Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading

Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. Noise pollution is a relatively new pollution.

2. Experts forecasted that water and noise pollution would be major future
problems.
3. Noise pollution seems to be a bigger problem in richer, developed countries.
4. Noises that enter the human ear are actually heard louder than they really
are.
5. There is a strong relationship between hearing loss and age.
6. Loud noise exposure studies have caused government changes.
7. In Canada, police monitor the level of noise in local neighbourhoods.
Questions 8 – 9
Choose TWO letters, A-G.

The list of problems below can be caused by exposure to high noise levels.
Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the text?
A. increased ear sensitivity
B. reduced reaction time
C. increased aging of the body
D. heart disease
E. stomach cancer
F. sleep apnea
G. increased blood pressure
Questions 10 – 13
Classify the following features as applying to
A. people from the USA
B. people from Ghana
C. both people from the USA and Ghana
Write the correct letter A, B or C, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10. individuals participated in a noise study

11. conducted a silence study
12. introduced air traffic regulations
13. the relationship between industrial noise and blood pressure
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 – 26 which are based

UNEARTHING JÓRVÍK
A. From 1976 to 1981 in what is now known as the city of York in North
Yorkshire, England, an archaeological dig was conducted in and around the
street of Coppergate. This excavation played a most significant part in
bringing to life the Viking kingdom of Jorvik.
B. Because most artifacts are made of materials which arc readily destroyed
by Ore, coming across an abundance of them after so many years is indeed a
rare thing. The five-year excavation in and around the street of Coppergate
by the York Archaeological Trust, managed to uncover some breathtakingly
well-preserved remains of Jorvik. Due to the unusual abundance of dense,
anoxic wet clay, Jorvik’s mostly timber buildings, pits and wells, work areas
and animal pens were remarkably very much intact.
C. Most commonly, household items from long ago were made of organic
material and therefore tended to decompose completely in oxygen-rich soil.
However, the complete lack of oxygen in the earth meant that decay bacteria
was unable to break down the embedded Viking objects. An oxygen-free
organic ‘cocoon’ comprising a mix of plant debris, including remains of
plants, wood chips, twigs, straw used for bedding and thatch used in
building, created an environment which enabled archaeologists to uncover
an abundance of relics left over from a period dating back to the 10th century.
Excavations of up to nine meters comprising numerous layers of deposits
uncovered a number of household articles such as pottery and eating utensils
as well as items made of wood and leather – all remarkably well-preserved.
Many beautifully-decorated combs were among the most common items
found at Coppergate. Combs at various stages of production, from sawn off-
cuts of antler to the finished product, were all uncovered at the site.
D. The unusual number of combs found in the area indicated to

archaeologists that there had been significant head lice infestations during
the period. Head lice continue to be a menace in many parts of the world
today and. excavations in the area revealed that such was the case for the
residents of Jorvik. Though probably not too harmful to their health, also
uncovered in the stomachs of many of the residents were parasitic worms,
some of them up to a third of a metre long. Given the close proximity of
household waste (food scraps, shells, bones) to houses, archaeologists
deduced that sanitation in the area was generally poor. This poor sanitation
would have impacted upon life expectancy with records indicating that most
people did not live beyond the age of 50.
E. Archaeologists are concerned with studying the environment of a past

civilisation and, like a detective, try to reconstruct a picture of what life in a
particular area must have been like. Remains from the city of Jorvik told
archaeologists a story about life in the Viking kingdom. A cap made of silk
which was uncovered indicated a connection with the Byzantine Empire and
beyond. Coins bearing inscriptions from the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand
and a cowrie shell indicated contact with the Persian Gulf or Red Sea tus
showing how far some of the inhabitants must have traveled. Also uncovered
side-by-side were Christian and pagan objects probably indicating that
Christians were probably not in power at the time.
F. It was clear from the wide range of everyday items uncovered that under
the Vikings, Jorvik excelled as an important manufacturing center. The name
‘Coppergate’ means ‘the street of cup-makers’ in the old Norse language and
further illustrated the manufacturing nature of the area as hundreds of
wooden cores – the waste or off-cuts from wooden bowls and cups – were
found in the area. This evidence points to a well-developed wood-working
industry with the mass production of household wooden items. Another
excavated area uncovered yet another manufacturing industry: metal work.
Iron objects such as tools and knives for everyday purposes as well as moulds
for making various types of jewellry were all uncovered. Shoemakers and
repairers also were in significant number. Belts, straps, pouches, knife
sheaths and piles of leather off-cuts all evidenced a thriving leather-craft
trade. Balls of beeswax used to lubricate the needles as they passed through
the leather were all tell-tail signs of a flourishing industry. Textile making
materials such as needles and spindles to hold material were also uncovered.
G. Re-created from the excavation of just four Viking-Age house plots, the
small Jorvik Viking Centre which was opened in April 1984 reminds tourists
and visitors of life long ago. Using innovative interpretive methods, the York
Archaeological Trust has recreated a model of what they believe the city of
Jorvik would have been like. Mid 10th century single-storey homes with
upright posts supporting thatched roofs, open fireplaces and simple earthen
floors have all been constructed.
Questions 14 -15
Choose TWO letters, A-F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 14-15 on your answer sheet.
The list below gives some factors which may explain why the artifacts at
Jorvik were so well preserved.
Which TWO reasons are mentioned by the writer of the passage?
A. the complete absence of fires
B. the clay
C. the lack of oxygen in the soil
D. the organic composition of the artifacts
E. the abundance of decay bacteria
F. the combination of plants, wood chips and twigs in the area
Questions 16 -21
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer?
In boxes 16-21 on your answer sheet write
YES if the statement agrees with the information in the

passage
NO if the statement contradicts the information in the

passage
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement in the

passage
16. The archaeological findings in Jorvik are unusual.

17. The number of combs discovered evidence large-scale head lice problems in
J6rvik.
18. Poor standards in cleanliness resulted in shorter life-spans.
19. Most of the town of Jorvik has now been uncovered by archaeologists.
20. Coins from Samarkand indicated that Jorvik had visitors from other
countries.
21. Coppergate was so called because many cups were made in the area.
Questions 22-26
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
22 examples of the types of industries in Jorvik
23 a reference to the material used in mid-10th century bedding in Jorvik
24 a reference to the number of Viking homes uncovered in Jorvik
25 a simple job definition
26 an example of an annoying type of insect
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based
It is no small intellectual task that a child learns a language. In order to begin

to communicate, a young child must first gain an understanding of the
internal structure of a system that, in reality, contains tens of thousands of
units, all generated from a small set of basic building blocks. In the case of
English, these basic building blocks’ are the alphabet and the units’ are
words. Although initially, a child may be able to grasp and manipulate the
basic letters of a language to form an infinite number of units’, he or she must
progress to another higher form of comprehension – the understanding that
only a subset of those combinations is correct – what are actual meaningful
words. Somehow, a young child must become familiar with the structure of
a particular language system such that he or she can use it to communicate
with others.
Given the complexity of the process of language acquisition, the question of

how infants learn to speak in their native language so rapidly is an interesting
one. Among linguists, the answer to this question has been researched and
debated for decades. Some researchers think that the answer to the question
– if indeed there is one – may unlock a secret to faster language acquisition
amongst older people. Over the years, experiments where researchers have
devised an artificial language that contained certain aspects of natural
language structure have been tried. The artificial language was presented to
the infants one ‘piece’ or ‘sample’ at a time. Once they became familiar with
one piece of the language, another piece from the same artificial language
was introduced. Once the infant appeared comfortable with this process, a
piece of real or bona fide language was introduced. The researchers then
measured such things as surprise and interest shown in the new language
samples to determine whether or not the infant related to them as being
completely new or as being more of what had been previously learned. The
infant’s reactions to the new stimuli helped linguists to determine what
mechanisms underpin the first stages of language acquisition. Experiments
like this have uncovered some astonishing facts namely the rate at which an
infant, even as young as 7 or 8 months, can take on the new’ information.
Some infants demonstrated the ability to process the new information after
as little as 3 minutes of exposure. Their young minds were able to structure
the linguistic input into relevant and ultimately meaningful units of
information.
Much of a child’s future social and intellectual development hinges upon

their ability to acquire language. For this reason, language acquisition is one
of the key milestones in early childhood development. Many child
development experts encourage parents to start talking to their infant from
the day of their birth. Some researchers maintain that the best way for a child
to learn is to simply hear language as those around them talk. Repetition of
structures seems to be a logical and academically defensible method of child
language acquisition. Quite a large body of research has shown that optimal
language development occurs when the same stories are read over and over
again to young children. In one experiment, a mother exposed her son to only
one book for nearly two years. The results were that the child spoke much
earlier than his other siblings and was able to recite 90% of the text on each
page by the age of two. Other studies have revealed that a knowledge of
nursery rhymes among three-year-olds has been a significant predictor of
later reading skill.
These examples of language learning, processing and producing, represent

just a few of the many developments between birth and the eventual
linguistic maturity that most children naturally attain. It is during this early
period that children discover the raw materials in the sounds of their
language, learn how they are assembled into longer strings, and then used in
meaningful contexts. These processes unfold simultaneously, requiring
children to organise the code of communication that surrounds them. Even
though each layer is complex, young children readily solve the linguistic
puzzles they encounter.
Regardless of the methods employed, the acquisition of a language is not an

automatic process but rather one that occurs as a result of a process of
learning. If a child does not take on a new language, then isolation and
withdrawal often accompany learning difficulties and poor academic
performance.
Questions 27 – 31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
27. According to the writer, an ‘internal language structure’
A. consists only of the alphabet.
B. is the starting point for communication.
C. comprises an infinite number of words.
D. is another term for linguistic comprehension.
28. The writer states that understanding a language occurs
A. once the learner understands the ‘basic building blocks’.

B. once the learner grasps the ‘units’ of a language.
C. once the alphabet is learned.
D. naturally, as soon as a child is old enough.
29. An ‘artificial language’
A. is a new form of communication amongst young children.
B. was used as a contrast with real language.
C. was devised slowly, over a considerable period of time.
D. is a mixture of real and artificial words.
30. According to the writer, infant surprise and interest
A. indicated infant intelligence.
B. was greater amongst infants exposed to a bona fide language.
C. revealed how language is initially learned.
D. were die most dependable indicators of gauging infant reaction to new

stimuli.
31. What greatly surprised researchers of infant language acquisition was
A. how readily participants demonstrated an ability to learn new languages.
B. how quickly the infants learned to verbally communicate.
C. how young the participants in the experiment were.
D. how quickly some infants learned new information.

Questions 32 – 35
Complete the summary.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
Write your answers in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet.
If a child does not 32………………………in early childhood, he or she will be

greatly restricted in both the ability to interact with others and academic
growth and development. To teach infants language, some researchers
recommend that they 33………………..…………. it, while others feel
that 34…………….………….is the most effective way for them to learn.
Regardless of which method of language acquisition is used, most children
reach 35…………..………………as they grow and develop.
Questions 36 – 40
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer?
In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet write
YES if the statement agrees with the information in the

passage
NO if the statement contradicts the information in the

passage
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement in the

passage
36 Understanding how children learn language may help adults learn

language.
37 The reactions of infants to artificial languages were quite similar.
38 Learning about, organising and then using sounds occurs regularly

among children.
39 Language learning ability impacts upon writing ability.
Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, D or E.
Write your answer in box 40 on your answer sheet.
What is the best title for Reading Passage 3?
A. Clues for adult language learning.
B. Language acquisition in infants and young children.
C. Measuring speaking ability amongst infants.
D. Acquiring language: The key to future learning.
E. Experiments in infant language acquisition
ANSWER KEY FOR IELTS READING PRACTICE TEST
1. F
Paragraph 2 states: ‘An over-abundance of noise has always been a
significant environmental issue for man.’
2. F
Paragraph 3 states that water shortage would be the problem, not pollution:
‘One hundred years ago, environmental experts predicted that in the 21st
century there would be a shortage of water and silence.’
3. F
Paragraph 4: ‘…regardless of the economic status of a particular country, the
effects of noise are just as widespread and the long-term consequences for
health the same.’
4. T
In the 5th paragraph it states: ‘When it initially receives sound, the human
ear actually amplifies (increases) it by a factor of 20.’
5. F
The 5th paragraph states, ‘For example, it was shown that aging is an almost
insignificant cause of hearing loss. ‘In other words, age has no influence or
bearing upon how well an individual hears.
6. T
Paragraph 6: ‘The findings from various noise studies had the effect of
changing the perspectives of many of the world’s governments. Whereas
noise had been considered a ‘nuisance’ rather than an environmental
problem, laws were made to protect citizens against it.’
7. NG
There is nothing in the passage about this!
8. D
Paragraph 5: ‘…also noted was an increase in the incidence of heart disease.’
9. C
Paragraph 5: ‘In fact, over a single eight hour period, it was shown that
participants experienced a rise in blood pressure thus indicating noise
pollution contributes to human stress levels.’
10. C
Paragraph 5: ‘In tandem, the Ghanese group were compared with a control
group in industrial USA. ‘ In other words, both groups participated together.
11. A
Paragraph 1: ‘…22-year old Tom Wonnacott, a Princeton graduate student,
spent four days lying in a lightless, sound-proofed isolation chamber. Unable
to see or hear…Wonnacott volunteered…to help US-based psychologists find
out what happens to people…in such extremes of silence’
12. C
Paragraph 6: In the United States and Ghana, federal standards for highway
and aircraft noise were introduced. ‘
13. C
Paragraph 5: ‘For example, both locations revealed…In fact, over a single
eight- hour period, it was shown that participants (i.e. the same participants
referenced earlier in the paragraph) experienced a rise in blood pressure…’
14. B, B & C (Answers in any order)

The answers are in paragraphs which state: ‘Due to the unusual abundance
of dense, anoxic wet clay, Jorvik’s mostly timber buildings, pits and wells,
work areas…were all incredibly well preserved. ‘And ‘…the complete lack of
oxygen in the earth meant that decay bacteria was unable to break down the
embedded Viking objects. ‘
15. C
16. Y
Paragraph B states: ‘Because most artifacts are made of materials which are
readily destroyed by fire, coming across an abundance of them after so many
years is indeed a rare thing’ and ‘…the York Archaeological Trust, managed
to uncover some breathtakingly well-preserved remains of Jorvik.’
17. Y
Paragraph D states: ‘The unusual number of combs found in the area
indicated to archaeologists that there had been significant head lice
infestations during the period.’
18. Y
Paragraph D states: ‘Given the close proximity of household waste…to
houses we can deduce that sanitation was generally poor. This would have
impacted upon life expectancy…most people did not live beyond the age of
50. ‘
19. NG
20. N
Paragraph E states: ‘Coins bearing inscriptions from…Samarkand…showed
how far some of the inhabitants must have traveled.’
21. Y
Paragraph F states: ‘The name ‘Coppergate’ means ‘the street of cup-makers’
in the old Norse language (with)…hundreds of wooden cores – the waste or
off-cuts from wooden bowls and cups – were found in the area.’
22. F
Although the manufacture of combs is mentioned in paragraph C, it is only
one industry. Paragraph F lists industries – wood-working (cup-
manufacturing), jewellery, metal-work and leather-craft.
23. C
In paragraph C it is written: ‘…straw used for bedding and thatch used in
building…’
24. G
Paragraph G states: ‘Re-created from the excavation of just tour Viking-Age
house plots…’
25. E
Paragraph E states: ‘Archaeologists are concerned with studying the
environment of a past civilisation and, like a detective, try to reconstruct a
picture of what life in a particular area must have been like.’
26. D
Paragraph D states: ‘Head lice continue to be a menace in many parts of the
world today and, excavations in the area revealed that such was the case for
the residents of Jorvik.’
27. B
The answer is in the 1st paragraph. The internal language structure is listed
as being the first step in learning a language
A is not correct because the text clearly states that the internal structure
contains the alphabet and words. C is the opposite of what is written in the
text – only a subset of those (alphabet) combinations is correct (i. e. not an
infinite number of words). D is not in the text at all.
28. B
The answer is in the 1st paragraph – ‘unit’ are (meaningful) ‘words’
A & C are not suitable because the text states that the ‘basic building blocks’
are the alphabet and a leaner must ‘progress to a higher form of
comprehension… understanding…what a meaningful words’. Regarding D
the text does not indicate this at all.
29. B
The answer is in the 2nd paragraph (“Once the infant appeared
comfortable…a piece of real or bona fide language was introduced…to
determine infant (ration)”
A & C are not suitable as the text does not say anything about this. The
passage says artificial language contained certain aspects of natural language
structure ( not words) so D is not correct.
30. C
The answer is in the 2nd paragraph.
A & B are not even mentioned in the text. D is wrong because surprise and
interest are given only as examples (‘such things as…’) so clearly, there were
other indicators of reaction to new stimuli.
31. D
The answer is in the 2nd paragraph.
A & B are wrong because although the text says infants learned quickly, it
does not say that they learned ‘languages’ or ‘communicated verbally’. C is
not mentioned anywhere in the passage.
32. acquire language OR learn language

The answer is found the 1st sentence of paragraph 3.
33. hear
The answer is found in the 4th sentence of paragraph 3.
34. repetition (of structures)

The answer is found in the 5th sentence of paragraph 3.
35. linguistic maturity

The answer is found in the 1st sentence of paragraph 4
36. Yes
Paragraph 2 states: “Some researchers think that the answer to the
question…may unlock a secret to faster language acquisition amongst older
people”.
37. NG
38. Yes
Paragraph 4 states: ‘…during this early period…children discover the raw
materials in the sounds of their language, learn how they are assembled into
longer strings, and then used in meaningful contexts. ‘
39. NG
40. B
The answer cannot be A because although information about this is
mentioned in paragraph 2 it is only a small part of the overall passage.
Although much of the passage is about infants learning to speak, it cannot be

C because acquiring language does not mean only speaking. In paragraph 3,
reading is also mentioned, ‘The same research showed that knowledge of
nursery rhymes among three-year-olds was a significant predictor of later
reading skill. ‘
D is also wrong. Although the passage discusses that acquiring language is a

key to future learning in the final paragraph, it is not the main topic discussed
throughout.
Even though the 2nd paragraph contains quite a lot of information on infant
language acquisition experiments, E is also wrong as the rest of the passage
does not focus on experimentation.
FLIGHT OF THE HONEY
 Honeybees are characterised by their ability to produce liquefied sugar

(honey) and a propensity to construct colonial nests using wax, two tasks that
necessitate a significant level of social integration among members. As a
result, they maintain strict divisions of labour, based on sex, with all males
functioning as drones to fertilize and care for the eggs, and all females, with
the exception of the single fertile queen, responsible for fetching nectar for
the colony’s progeny. In addition, honeybees have devised a sophisticated
system of communication to relay important information from member to
member.
 Perhaps the most intriguing feature of honeybee communication is a series

of flight moves only performed by a female worker bee that has returned to
the nest with nectar and needs to tell the rest of her colony that she has
discovered food supplies and where they can be found. This so-called
honeybee dance was first interpreted by German zoologist Karl von Frisch in
the early 1970s. To facilitate observation, von Frisch and his students built
several glass walled hives and marked a collection of worker bees, or
foragers, with paint. He then trained those foragers to find nectar at
designated sources at various distances from the hives, and when the bees
returned he carefully recorded their movements, the angle and direction of
their flight, and any additional visual cues offered to the colony. What von
Frisch discovered was that each aspect of the dance indicated certain details
about the location of the nectar reserves and recruited others to return to the
site.
 The first piece of information conveyed by dancing bees is the distance of the
field to the hive, and they do this in one of three ways. If it is less than 50
meters from the colony’s nest the bee will fly around in narrow circles, and
then suddenly fly in the opposite direction. She will repeat this pattern,
which von Frisch’s team called the round dance, until she has recruited
several other workers to return with her to the field. When the distance is
greater than 50 meters, but less than 150 meters, she will perform a sickle
dance, a crescent shaped flight course. If the field is farther than 150 meters,
the forager will act out a waggle dance in which she will run straight ahead
briefly before returning to her original position in a semi-circular movement.
Then, she will run forward again and return from the opposite side. The
length of the forward run coincides with the distance of the food supplies; for
example, a 2.5 second run indicates that the nectar was found about 2500
meters way.
 Recruits also need to know the direction in which they should fly to arrive at
the appropriate foraging location, and this information is communicated via
the bee’s angular orientation to the hive. It, however, is not a direct
connection to the position of the food supplies from the hive, but its location
relative to the sun. Therefore if the food is situated directly opposite from the
sun, the bee will fly a straight run vertically downward; if it is in the same
direction as the sun, it will fly directly upward from the colony nest. A
position 60 degrees to the right of the sun will prompt the bee to fly
downwards at a 60 degrees angle toward the right of the nest. Moreover,
because the sun is in constant motion throughout the day, the bee’s
orientation will shift depending on the time at which the dance is performed.
Sceptics of von Frisch’s findings, however, claim that visual cues are not
enough to provide all the clues necessary to convey the location of a food
resource. Several scientists, among them Adrian Wenner, believe that the
dance is only one component of honeybee communications; odour is the
second key element. Using robotic bees to perform the same dances, Wenner
was unable to attract new recruits to the foraging activities; however, when
he added a bit of nectar to the robot, workers quickly followed. He also
discovered that the odors must be representative of the actual flowers
containing the food source; otherwise the bees will arrive at the site, but not
know which ones will be profitable.
Questions 1 – 3
Write your answers in boxes 1 – 3 on your answer sheet.
1. Honeybees
A. have a rudimentary ability to convey information.
B. have clearly segregated roles.
C. are found in equal numbers of male and female.
D. often relocate to areas with certain types of flower.
2. Research conducted in the 1970s

A. was undertaken using traditional hives.
B. determined that forager bees had special markings.
C. closely studied the phenomenon of the honeybee body language.

D. concluded that there was no discernible pattern to the movement of
the bees.
3. To identify that the source of nectar is close, forager bees

A. will repeatedly fly the same direction.
B. will begin to move only when other bees are watching.
C. will run straight forward.
D. will repeat a pattern of flying in one direction then abruptly reversing

direction.
Questions 4 – 8
Complete the sentences below USING NO MORE THAN TWO AND/OR

A NUMBER.
Write your answers in boxes 4- 8 on your answer sheet.
4. Von Frisch focussed on a number of ________________clues to

deduce how bees communicated.
5. The bee will move forward for one________________ for every 1000
metres away the food source is.
6. To locate the direction of the nectar, the forager will base its movements on
the position of ________________ .
7. For food sources over 150 metres away, the forager will indicate distance with
a _____________ dance.
8. It has been argued that ________________ as well as movement may
help to locate food sources.
Questions 9 – 12
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the

reading passage?
In boxes 9 -12 on your answer sheet write

9. Drone bees communicate using a complicated set of movements.

10.The honeybee dance is performed until a number of other bees join in the
collection of the nectar.
11. The honeybee dance is only performed when the sun is visible.
12. Wenner concluded that a matching smell will help bees find the rough area
of the nectar but not the specific source.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 13-25, which are based
on Reading Passage 2 below.
A. Recent research in Hong Kong indicates that staying in bed after a long
week at school is just what children need to avoid becoming obese, The
research, which focused on children aged five to fifteen, discovered that those
who slept late on Saturdays and Sundays decreased the probability of having
weight problems as they grew up. Published in the journal Paediatrics, the
findings add to previous research that indicated a connection between
regular sleep deprivation and obesity.
B. The scientists involved believe the weekend lie-in is vital for school-age
children to catch up on the sleep they lose during a busy week at school. This
catch up sleep helps the children to regulate calorie consumption by cutting
down on eating snacks during waking hours, Scientists and others in the
medical fields have long known that a lack of sleep and irregular sleep
patterns causes obesity as this combination affects the body’s natural
metabolism and tends to also encourage snacking to reduce the feeling of
tiredness. However, this is thought to be the first time researchers have
found sleeping in at weekends to be a key factor in helping ‘reset’ children’s
sleeping patterns.
C. Since the 1980s, obesity rates among children in the UK and in the United
States have been on the rise and medical and childcare experts fear a diabetes
and heart disease epidemic is developing. Although estimates for obesity
rates have recently been lowered, current expectations are that close to one
in three boys aged from two to eleven are likely to be overweight or obese by
the year 2020. The prediction for girls is slightly over one in four, a much
lower prediction than ten years ago when forecasts were that almost half
would be overweight.
D. The relationship between sleep deficiency and obesity has been drawing
much attention in the past several years with studies showing that sleeping
just a few hours a night can seriously disturb the body’s natural metabolism,
leading to an increase in overall calorie intake and a much greater danger of
weight-related illnesses. Yun Kwok Wing of Hong Kong University and other
experts investigated the possibility that catching up on sleep at the weekends
would help youngsters to overcome such disruption of the bodies
metabolism. They questioned the parents of over 5,000 schoolchildren and
accumulated data on diet, lifestyle, weight and sleeping habits. During school
time, the average amount of sleep was a little over nine hours on average.
However, a surprising number of kids slept well under eight hours a night.
E. What the researchers found most interesting was that those children who
managed to catch up on missed sleep on the weekend actually remained
relatively slim while those who did not had a higher probability of putting on
weight (as measured by body mass index, or BMI). A report the researches
published revealed: “Overweight and obese children tended to wake up
earlier and had shorter sleep durations throughout weekdays, weekends and
holidays than their normal-weight peers. Our study suggests sleeping longer
on weekends or holidays could lower the risk of being overweight or obese.”
F. The study authors mentioned that reduced sleep duration has become a
hallmark of modern society, with people generally sleeping one to two hours
less than a few decades ago and children were no exception to this. However,
the researchers were not quite sure why obese and overweight children were
less likely to sleep late on weekends, but indicated that they tended to spend
more time doing their homework and watching television than their normal-
weight peers. Still, the researchers urged caution in the interpretation of
their findings, acknowledging that “an irregular sleep-wake schedule and
insufficient sleep among school-aged children and adolescents has been
documented with a variety of serious repercussions, including increased
daytime sleepiness, academic difficulties, and mood and behavioral
problems.”
G. The precise nature of the link between short sleep duration and obesity
remains unclear, said Mary A. Jackson, Professor of Psychiatry and Human
Behavior at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School in Providence, and
Director of Chronobiology at Bradley Hospital in East Providence. “Evidence
has shown that there are changes in satiety and in levels of the hunger
hormones leptin and ghrelin,” Jackson said. “But there’s also evidence that
kids who are not getting enough sleep get less physical activity, perhaps
simply because they’re too tired. It’s just not cut-and-dried.” The findings
could be of help in slowing down the ongoing increase in childhood obesity,
but for the time being, parents should be observant of their children’s wake-
sleep cycles, and take steps to ensure they are getting enough sleep, the
researchers advised. Perhaps this is a reminder to us all that despite school,
homework, extracurricular activities, and family time, sleep still needs to be
a priority in a child’s life.
Questions 13 – 15
Choose THREE letters A-G.
NB Your answers may be given in any order.
Which THREE of the following statements are true of the research in Hong
Kong?
A. Researchers discovered that overweight children tend to sleep more.
B. The researchers believe the weekend lie-in is very important for busy
children.
C. The findings show that overweight children tend to wake up earlier and
sleep less.
D. Obesity in children may be triggered by a fluctuation in sleep patterns.
E. The researchers do not know the reasons why obese children are less likely
to sleep late on weekends.
F. The researchers interviewed the children’s teachers to gain information.
G. All children investigated slept more than eight hours a day.
Questions 16 – 21
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs A-G.
Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 16-21.
16. Predictions on rates of obesity in children.

17. An outline of the most notable research finding.
18. Ideas on why overweight children don’t sleep in on weekends.
19. How sleeping in on weekends can help a child keep slim.
20. A study looking into sleep deprivation and the affect on body
metabolism.
21. Advice for parents concerned about their children becoming overweight.
Questions 22 – 25
Complete the summary with the list of words A-L below.
Write the correct letter A-L in boxes 22-25 on your answer sheet.
A. recent B. past C. lost E. put F.

difficulty
G. inconclusive I. remains J. future K. immediate
The main findings of the research showed that children who were able to
catch up on 22 ______________ sleep stayed fairly slim whereas children
who did not were much more likely to 23 _______________weight. The
researchers mentioned that in 24________________ times a reduction
in sleep time has become common with most people sleeping an hour or two
less than in the past. However, the reasons why overweight children tended
to sleep less on weekends than their slimmer peers 25
________________ a mystery.
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 26-40, which are based
on Reading Passage 3 below.
TEAM BUILDING
 Particularly in times of economic downturn, efficiency is of supreme
importance across all industry bases; whilst companies may be looking to cut
their costs, many still invest in staff motivation, training and development
programmes, having developed an understanding of just how crucial strong
internal relationships can be for success.
 Louise Edwards of HR Success says that one of the barriers she comes across
time and time again is that corporate heads often seem to understand that
‘team building’ is important but are not quite sure what it is or how to achieve
it. In the terms of a sports club, she says, the team (i.e. what it is and how it
is defined) is obvious and easy to identify. In contrast, she says, within a
company – particularly a multi-layered, larger organisation, definitions may
become more confused. Many define a business ‘team’ as the group of people
who report to the same boss – a department, for example. However,
according to Edwards, it is more productive to define a team as a group of
people working towards a common goal. In training terms, therefore, this
group could be members of a department with the same roles and
responsibilities, such as a sales team with the common goal of selling or even
the organisation as a whole, whose ‘goal’ in this case is the continued success
of the organisation, their many different skills and roles all contributing to
this in a number of ways.
 Brenda Durham of Corporate Trouble-Shooters believes it inevitable that to

some extent conflict will exist in a successful workplace since the necessary
diversity of skills and personalities required for success will also unavoidably
lead to misunderstandings and disharmony from time to time. A cohesive
unit that minimises friction, she believes, can however be developed in any
organisation committed to investment in its people. Whilst the taking on of
external expertise for staff training and team building programmes can be
costly, a number of companies, particularly those with a robust human
resources department, are undertaking the training themselves. Liaison
Wizards, established in 2001 and headed by Jeff Blackshaw, offers free
training and development advice to companies wishing to offer motivation
seminars designed in house, in the belief that contextualised training is
always more effective. The company’s own business model is based upon
generating revenue from advertising on their popular website – a great
success, so far, having surpassed financial projections for each year it has
been in operation to date.
 Blackshaw likens the key to successful corporate team building to the tactics
employed in a less formal sporting environment. He says that bonds,
connections and empathy developed between members of a rugby team, for
example, can also be developed within a department in the business world or
even at company level. He says that good team work is fostered by respect,
encouragement, shared enthusiasm and a caring and supportive workplace.
Trying to exploit or dictate to personnel is sure to lead to failure, Blackshaw
says.
 Brian Osbourne, Human Resources Director of Opmax Inc, believes that

programmes developed in house are inherently more likely to be of greater
success than external offerings for two main reasons. Most importantly, he
says, people are much easier to motivate if they themselves can be involved
in designing and deciding activities – this level of consultation at the
planning stage being much easier to achieve for an internal department than
an external consultant. Of only slightly less importance, says Osbourne,
training activities must be perceived by participants as providing outcomes
geared towards developing the individuals’ potential, Once again,
programmes developed by people with an insight into the personalities and
culture at hand can be more easily tailored to suit the distinctive needs of
that particular audience.
 According to Osbourne, one of the biggest barriers to successful staff training

is the perception that activities are too game-focussed, with no real
objectives; many professionals, believing that such games are trite or
patronising, are unable to appreciate the hidden benefits of building
understanding and camaraderie within the group. If presented correctly,
within the correct context and in conjunction with other, more staid
approaches, Louise Edwards holds that games can be an enormous asset in
staff training. In simple terms, Edwards defines the objectives of team
building activities as a process, starting with the first stage – the clarification
of the collective goals. This leads to the identification of the inhibitors
preventing achievement of those goals and the introduction of enablers
which will assist in goal achievement. This is followed by stage four – the
final stage, where outcomes are measured and from that point on are
monitored to ensure that goals are achieved and continue to be achieved. In
stages 2 and 3 (identifying barriers and introducing positive alternatives)
Edwards believes that the use of humour goes a long way towards
relationship building on a personal level through development of empathy
and removal of antipathy, ultimately fostering cooperation and support on a
more formal level.
 Alan Kidman, HR Manager of Tellam Industries agrees that the use of

humour and games within a training context can go a long way towards
helping an organisation achieve its goals. He has recently designed a two
month long in house team building programme for senior management and
will soon be delivering the first of a series of 8 workshops and activities. The
goal of the project, he says, was to strengthen communication and support
within the extremely diverse departments of the organisation. Heads of six
departments, collectively responsible for over 200 staff members, are to be
involved in the series of seminars. The programme, Kidman says, is
experimental and if it proves to be a success is also intended for use in the
organisation’s branches overseas. Previously the organisation has taken a
more formalised approach to staff development training relying on methods
such as psychometric testing discussions, motivational conferences and
formal appraisals. The new, and as yet untried, approach will challenge
participants in, by comparison, rather radical ways. One initiative, for
example, requiring the writing, organisation and delivery of a theatrical
performance to which all staff members will be invited to view.
 Team building and motivational approaches include a wide variety of

methodologies, techniques, theories and tools. Experts generally agree that
different options may succeed or fail depending upon the culture of the
organisation in which they are implemented. A fit with the personalities
involved in crucial to success. Not only is delivery of appropriate training
sessions themselves important but professional and measurable follow up is
also a must.
Questions 26 – 30
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the

reading passage?
In boxes 26 -30 on your answer sheet write
26. Typical stresses of working with different people are removed with the
correct training.
27.Liaison Wizards claims that training has increased their income every year
since the company started.
28. Many companies are unsuccessful because they are dogmatic and take
advantage of staff.
29. In house training is more successful primarily because employees feel
more involved in the planning.
30. The value of games as a training tool can be misunderstood.
Questions 31 – 35
Look at the following list of statements based on Reading Passage 3.
Match the statement with the correct person A-E. You can use each letter
more than once.
A. Louise Edwards
B. Brenda Durham
C. Jeff Blackshaw
D. Brian Osborne
E. Alan Kidman
31. Many companies will experience friction between staff.

32. Training specifically tailored to a company is more efficient than
generic training.
33. Modern methods of training, although still only being piloted, can
bring people from different perspectives together.
34. Successful team relationships are formed in a positive work
environment.
35. A lack of clarity as to what the term ‘team building’ means.
Questions 36 – 40
Complete the summary USING NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from

Reading Passage 3 for each answer.
Team building can be considered to have 36 ____________ clear stages.

Initially, it is essential to be clear as to the 37______________ of the
entire team or company. Those barriers which are preventing the team from
achieving these aims are identified as 38 _______________, and are
addressed by introducing enablers. Here the use of 39
________________ can be used to help build a cooperative relationship.
Finally, success can be quantified and continually 40 ______________.

1. B
‘…they maintain strict divisions of labour, based on sex’
2. C
‘This so-called honeybee dance was first interpreted by German zoologist
Karl von Frisch in the early 1970s.’
3. D
‘the bee will fly around in narrow circles, and then suddenly fly in the
opposite direction’
4. Visual
‘von Frisch’s findings, however, claim that visual cues are not enough to
provide all the clues necessary’
5. 1 second
‘The length of the forward run coincides with the distance of the food
supplies; for example, a 2.5 second run indicates that the nectar was found
about 2500 meters way.’ (therefore 1 second for 1000 metres)
6. The sun
‘It, however, is not a direct connection to the position of the food supplies
from the hive, but its location relative to the sun.’
7. Waggle
‘If the field is farther than 150 meters, the forager will act out a waggle dance.’
8. Odour
‘Several scientists, among them Adrian Wenner, believe that the dance is
only one component of honeybee communications; odour is the second key
element.’
9. False
Only the female forager
10. True
‘until she has recruited several other workers to return with her to the field.’
11. Not Given.
We only know that the position of the sun is relevant.
12. False
‘…odour must be representative of the actual flowers containing the food
source; otherwise the bees will arrive at the site, but not know which ones
will be profitable.’
13. B/C/E
See below
14. B/C/E
See below
15. B/C/E
B ‘researchers have found sleeping in at weekends to be a key factor In
helping reset՛ children’s sleeping patterns.’
C ‘Overweight and obese children tended to wake up earlier and had shorter
sleep durations.’
E ‘However, the researchers were not quite sure why obese and overweight
children were less likely to sleep late on weekends.’
16. C
‘Although estimates for obesity rates have recently been lowered, current
expectations are that close to one in three boys aged from two to eleven are
likely to be overweight or obese by the year 2020.’
17. E
‘What the researchers found most interesting was that those children who
managed to catch up on missed sleep on the weekend actually remained
relatively slim while those who did not had a higher probability of putting on
weight.’
18. F
‘they tended to spend more time doing their homework and watching
television than their normal-weight peers’
19. B
‘This catch up sleep helps the children to regulate calorie consumption by
cutting down on eating snacks during waking hours.’
20. D
‘…Yun Kwok Wing of Hong Kong university and other experts …questioned
the parents of over 5,000 schoolchildren and accumulated data on diet,
lifestyle, weight and sleeping habits.’
21. G
‘parents should be observant of their children’s wake-sleep cycles, and take
steps to ensure they are getting enough sleep’
22. C
See paragraphs E and F
23. D
24. A
25. I
26. False
They are not removed – they are limited
27. False
‘The company’s own business model is based upon generating revenue from
advertising on their popular website’ – not income from training.
28. Not Given

The text states that ‘trying to exploit or dictate to personnel is sure to lead to
failure’ but does not say that many companies are unsuccessful as a result.
29. True
‘Most importantly, he says, people are much easier to motivate if they
themselves can be involved in designing and deciding activities.’
30. True
‘many professionals, believing that such games are trite or patronising, are
unable to appreciate the hidden benefits of building understanding and
camaraderie within the group’
31. B
‘Brenda Durham of Corporate Trouble-Shooters believes it inevitable that to
some extent conflict will exist in a successful workplace since the necessary
diversity of skills and personalities required for success will also unavoidably
lead to misunderstandings and disharmony from time to time’
32. C
‘Liaison Wizards, established in 2001 and headed by Jeff Blackshaw, offers
free training and development advice to companies wishing to offer
motivation seminars designed in house, in the belief that contextualised
training is always more effective.’
33. E
‘…within the extremely diverse departments of the organisation…The
programme, Kidman says, is experimental’
34. C
(Blackshaw) ‘…says that good team work is fostered by respect,
encouragement, shared enthusiasm and a caring and supportive workplace.’
35. A
‘Louise Edwards of HR Success says that one of the barriers she comes across
time and time again is that corporate heads often seem to understand that
‘team building’ is important but are not quite sure what it is or how to achieve
it.’
36. 4
37.Collective goals
38. Inhibitors
39. Humour
40. monitored
In simple terms, Edwards defines the objectives of team building activities
as a process, starting with the first stage – the clarification of the collective
goals. This leads to the identification of the inhibitors preventing
achievement of those goals and the introduction of enablers which will assist
in goal achievement. This is followed by a fourth stage as outcomes are
measured and from that point on are monitored to ensure that goals are
achieved and continue to be achieved. In stages 2 and 3 (identifying barriers
and introducing positive alternatives) Edwards believes that the use of
humour goes a long way towards relationship building on a personal level
through development of empathy and removal of antipathy, ultimately
fostering cooperation and support on a more formal level.
Section 1
Foot Pedal Irrigation
 IELTS READING PRACTICE TEST 70 WITH ANSWERS

A Until now, governments and development agencies have tried to tackle
the problem through large-scale projects: gigantic dams, sprawling,
irrigation canals and vast new fields of high-yield crops introduced during
the Green Revolution, the famous campaign to increase grain harvests in
developing nations. Traditional irrigation, however, has degraded the soil in
many areas, and the reservoirs behind dams can quickly fill up with silt,
reducing their storage capacity and depriving downstream farmers of fertile
sediments. Furthermore, although the Green Revolution has greatly
expanded worldwide farm production since 1950, poverty stubbornly
persists in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Continued improvements in the
productivity of large farms may play the main role in boosting food supply,
but local efforts to provide cheap, individual irrigation systems to small
farms may offer a better way to lift people out of poverty.
B The Green Revolution was designed to increase the overall food supply,
not to raise the incomes of the rural poor, so it should be no surprise that it
did not eradicate poverty or hunger. India, for example, has been self-
sufficient in food for 15 years, and its granaries are full, but more than 200
million Indians – one fifth of the country’s population – are malnourished
because they cannot afford the food they need and because the country’s
safety nets are deficient. In 2000, 189 nations committed to the Millennium
Development Goals, which called for cutting world poverty in half by 2015.
With business as usual, however, we have little hope of achieving most of the
Millennium goals, no matter how much money rich countries contribute to
poor ones.
C The supply-driven strategies of the Green Revolution, however, may not

help subsistence farmers, who must play to their strengths to compete in the
global marketplace. The average size of a family farm is less than four acres
in India, 1.8 acres in Bangladesh and about half an acre in China. Combines
and other modern farming tools are too expensive to be used on such small
areas. An Indian farmer selling surplus wheat grown on his one-acre plot
could not possibly compete with the highly efficient and subsidized Canadian
wheat farms that typically stretch over thousands of acres. Instead
subsistence farmers should exploit the fact that their labor costs are the
lowest in the world, giving them a comparative advantage in growing and
selling high-value, intensely farmed crops.
D Paul Polak saw firsthand the need for a small-scale strategy in 1981 when
he met Abdul Rahman, a farmer in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh. From
his three quarter-acre plots of rain-fed rice fields, Abdul could grow only 700
kilograms of rice each year – 300 kilograms less than what he needed to feed
his family. During the three months before the October rice harvest came in,
Abdul and his wife had to watch silently while their three children survived
on one meal a day or less. As Polak walked with him through the scattered
fields he had inherited from his father, Polak asked what he needed to move
out of poverty. “Control of water for my crops,” he said, “at a price I can
afford.”
E Soon Polak learned about a simple device that could help Abdul achieve
his goal: the treadle pump. Developed in the late 1970s by Norwegian
engineer Gunnar Barnes, the pump is operated by a person walking in place
on a pair of treadles and two handle arms made of bamboo. Properly adjusted
and maintained, it can be operated several hours a day without tiring the
users. Each treadle pump has two cylinders which are made of engineering
plastic. The diameter of a cylinder is 100.5mm and the height is 280mm. The
pump is capable of working up to a maximum depth of 7 meters. Operation
beyond 7 meters is not recommended to preserve the integrity of the rubber
components. The pump mechanism has piston and foot valve assemblies.
The treadle action creates alternate strokes in the two pistons that lift the
water in pulses.
F The human-powered pump can irrigate half an acre of vegetables and

costs only $25 (including the expense of drilling a tube well down to the
groundwater). Abdul heard about the treadle pump from a cousin and was
one of the first farmers in Bangladesh to buy one. He borrowed the $25 from
an uncle and easily repaid the loan four months later. During the five-month
dry season, when Bangladeshis typically farm very little, Abdul used the
treadle pump to grow a quarter-acre of chili peppers, tomatoes, cabbage and
eggplants. He also improved the yield of one of his rice plots by irrigating it.
His family ate some of the vegetables and sold the rest at the village market,
earning a net profit of $100. With his new income, Abdul was able to buy rice
for his family to eat, keep his two sons in school until they were 16 and set
aside a little money for his daughter’s dowry. When Polak visited him again
in 1984, he had doubled the size of his vegetable plot and replaced the
thatched roof on his house with corrugated tin. His family was raising a calf
and some chickens. He told me that the treadle pump was a gift from God.
G Bangladesh is particularly well suited for the treadle pump because a

huge reservoir of groundwater lies just a few meters below the farmers’ feet.
In the early 1980s IDE initiated a campaign to market the pump,
encouraging 75 small private-sector companies to manufacture the devices
and several thousand village dealers and tube-well drillers to sell and install
them. Over the next 12 years one and a half million farm families purchased
treadle pumps, which increased the farmers’ net income by a total of $150
million a year. The cost of IDE’s market-creation activities was only $12
million, leveraged by the investment of $37.5 million from the farmers
themselves. In contrast, the expense of building a conventional dam and
canal system to irrigate an equivalent area of farmland would be in the range
of $2,000 per acre, or $1.5 billion.
Questions 1 – 6
Do the following statements agree with the information given

in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1 – 6 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the view of the writer

FALSE if the statement contradicts the view of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1 It is more effective to resolve poverty or food problem in large scale rather
than in small scale.
2 Construction of gigantic dams costs more time in developing countries.
3 Green revolution foiled to increase global crop production from the mid
of 20th century.
4 Agricultural production in Bangladesh declined in last decade.
5 Farmer Abdul Rahman knew how to increase production himself.

6 Small pump spread into big project in Bangladesh in the past decade.
Questions 7 – 10
Filling the blanks in diagram of treadle pump’s each parts.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A

NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Questions 11 – 13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A

NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
11 How large area can a treadle pump irrigate the field at a low level of
expense?
12 What is Abdul’s new roof made of?

13 How much did Bangladesh farmers invest by IDE’s stimulation?
Section 2
Learning By Examples
A Learning theory is rooted in the work of Ivan Pavlov, the famous scientist
who discover and documented the principles governing how animals
(humans included) learn in the 1900s. Two basic kinds of learning or
conditioning occur, one of which is famously known as the classical
condition. Classical conditioning happens when an animal learns to associate
a neutral stimulus (signal) with a stimulus that has intrinsic meaning based
on how closely in time the two stimuli are presented. The classic example of
classical conditioning is a dog’s ability to associate the sound of a bell
(something that originally has no meaning to the dog) with the presentation
of food (something that has a lot of meaning for the dog) a few moments
later. Dogs are able to learn the association between bell and food, and will
salivate immediately after hearing the bell once this connection has been
made. Years of learning research have led to the creation of a highly precise
learning theory that can be used to understand and predict how and under
what circumstances most any animal will learn, including human beings, and
eventually help people figure out how to change their behaviors.
B Role models are a popular notion for guiding child development, but in
recent years very interesting research has been done on learning by example
in other animals. If the subject of animal learning is taught very much in
terms of classical or operant conditioning, it places too much emphasis on
how we allow animals to learn and not enough on how they are equipped to
learn. To teach a course of mine I have been dipping profitably into a very
interesting and accessible compilation of papers on social learning in
mammals, including chimps and human children, edited by Heyes and Galef.
C The research reported in one paper started with a school field trip to
Israel to a pine forest where many pine cones were discovered, stripped to
the central core. So the investigation started with no weighty theoretical
intent, but was directed at finding out what was eating the nutritious pine
seeds and how they managed to get them out of the cones. The culprit proved
to be the versatile and athletic black rat (Rattus) and the technique was to
bite each cone scale off at its base, in sequence from base to tip following the
spiral growth pattern of the cone.
D Urban black rats were found to lack the skill and were unable to learn it
even if housed with experiences cone strippers. However, infants of urban
mothers cross fostered to stripper mothers acquired the skill, whereas
infants of stripper mothers fostered by an urban mother could not. Clearly
the skill had to be learned from the mother. Further elegant experiments
showed that naive adults could develop the skill if they were provided with
cones from which the first complete spiral of scales had been removed, rather
like our new photocopier which you can word out how to use once someone
has shown you how to switch it on. In case of rats, the youngsters take cones
away from the mother when she is still feeding on them, allowing them to
acquire the complete stripping skill.
E A good example of adaptive bearing we might conclude, but let’s see the
economies. This was determined by measuring oxygen uptake of a rat
stripping a cone in a metabolic chamber to calculate energetic cost and
comparing it with the benefit of the pine seeds measured by calorimeter. The
cost proved to be less than 10% of the energetic value of the cone. An
acceptable profit margin.
F A paper in 1996 Animal Behavior by Bednekoff and Balda provides a

different view of the adaptiveness of social learning. It concerns the seed
catching behavior of Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana) and the
Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarine). The former is a specialist, catching
30,000 or so seeds in scattered locations that it will recover over the months
of winter, the Mexican jay will also cache food but is much less dependent
upon this than the nutcracker. The two species also differ in their social
structure, the nutcracker being rather solitary while the jay forages in social
groups.
G The experiment is to discover not just whether a bird can remember

where it hid a seed but also if it can remember where it saw another bird hide
a seed. The design is slightly comical with a cacher bird wandering about a
room with lots of holes in the floor hiding food in some of the holes, while
watched by an observer bird perched in a cage. Two days later cachers and
observers are tested for their discovery rate against an estimated random
performance. In the role of cacher, not only nutcracker but also the less
specialized jay performed above chance; more surprisingly, however, jay
observers were as successful as jay cachers whereas nutcracker observers did
no better than chance. It seems that, whereas the nutcracker is highly
adapted at remembering where it hid its own seeds, the social living Mexican
jay is more adept at remembering, and so exploiting, the caches of others.
Questions 14 – 17
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A – G.
Write the correct letter, A – G, in boxes 1 – 4 on your answer sheet.
14 a comparison between rats，learning and human learning
15 a reference to the earliest study in animal learning
16 the discovery of who stripped the pine cone
17 a description of a cost-effectiveness experiment
Questions 18 – 21
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading

Passage?
In boxes 18 – 21 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the

information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the

information
18 The field trip to Israel was to investigate how black rats learn to strip pine
cones.
19 The pine cones were stripped from bottom to top by black rats.
20 It can be learned from other relevant experiences to use a photocopier.
21 Stripping the pine cones is an instinct of the black rats.

Questions 22 – 26
Complete the summary below using words from the box.
Write your answers in boxes 22 – 26 on your answer sheet.
While the Nutcracker is more able to cache see, the Jay

relies 22……………………on caching food and is thus less specialized in this
ability, but more 23……………………. To study their behavior of caching and
finding their caches, an experiment was designed and carried out to test
these two birds for their ability to remember where they hid the seeds.
In the experiment, the cacher bird hid seeds in the ground while the
other 24……………………. As a result, the Nutcracker and the Mexican Jay
showed different performance in the role of 25…………………… at finding the
seeds—the observing 26…………………… didn’t do as well as its counterpart.
A less B more C solitary D social

E cacher F observer G remembered H watched
I Jay J Nutcracker
Section 3
Eco-Resort Management
A Ecotourism is often regarded as a form of nature-based tourism and has

become an important alternative source of tourists. In addition to providing
the traditional resort-leisure product, it has been argued that ecotourism
resort management should have a particular focus on best-practice
environmental management, an educational and interpretive component,
and direct and indirect contributions to the conservation of the natural and
cultural environment (Ayala, 1996).
B Couran Cove Island Resort is a large integrated ecotourism-based resort

located south of Brisbane on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. As the
world’s population becomes increasingly urbanised, the demand for tourist
attractions which are environmentally friendly, serene and offer amenities of
a unique nature, has grown rapidly. Couran Cove Resort, which is one such
tourist attractions, is located on South Stradbroke Island, occupying
approximately 150 hectares of the island. South Stradbroke Island is
separated from the mainland by the Broadwater, a stretch of sea 3 kilometers
wide. More than a century ago, there was only one Stradbroke Island, and
there were at least four aboriginal tribes living and hunting on the island.
Regrettably, most of the original island dwellers were eventually killed by
diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox and influenza by the end of the
19th The second ship wreak on the island in 1894, and the subsequent
destruction of the ship (the Cambus Wallace) because it contained dynamite,
caused a large crater in the sandhills on Stradbroke Island. Eventually, the
ocean broke through the weakened land form and Stradbroke became two
islands. Couran Cove Island Resort is built on one of the world’s few
naturally-occurring sand lands, which is home to a wide range of plant
communities and one of the largest remaining remnants of the rare livistona
rainforest left on the Gold Coast. Many mangrove and rainforest areas, and
Malaleuca Wetlands on South Stradbroke Island (and in Queensland), have
been cleared, drained or filled for residential, industrial, agricultural or
urban development in the first half of the 20th century. Farmer and graziers
finally abandoned South Stradbroke Island in 1939 because the vegetation
and the soil conditions there were not suitable for agricultural activities.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES OF COURAN COVE RESORT
Being located on an offshore island, the resort is only accessible by means of

water transportation. The resort provides hourly ferry service from the
marina on the mainland to and from the island. Within the resort, transport
modes include walking trails, bicycle tracks and the beach train. The
reception area is the counter of the shop which has not changed in 8 years at
least. The accommodation is an octagonal “Bure”. These are large rooms that
are clean but! The equipment is tired and in some cases just working. Our
ceiling fan only worked on high speed for example. Beds are hard but clean,
there is television, radio, an old air conditioner and a small fridge. These
“Bures” are right on top of each other and night noises do carry so be careful
what you say and do. The only thing is the mosquitos but if you forget to bring
mosquito repellant they sell some on the island.
As an ecotourism-based resort, most of the planning and development of the

attraction has been concentrated on the need to co-exist with the fragile
natural environment of South Stradbroke Island to achieve sustainable
development.
WATER AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT

C South Stradbroke Island has groundwater at the centre of the island,
which has a maximum height of 3 metres above sea level. The water supply
is recharged by rainfall and is commonly known as an unconfined freshwater
aquifer. Couran Cove Island Resort obtains its water supply by tapping into
this aquifer and extracting it via a bore system. Some of the problems which
have threatened the island’s freshwater supply include pollution,
contamination and over-consumption. In order to minimise some of these
problems, all laundry activities are carried out on the mainland. The resort
considers washing machines as onerous to the island’s freshwater supply,
and that the detergents contain a high level of phosphates which are a major
source of water pollution. The resort uses LPG-power generation rather than
a diesel-powered plant for its energy supply, supplemented by wind turbine,
which has reduced greenhouse emissions by 70% of diesel-equivalent
generation methods. Excess heat recovered from the generator is used to
heat the swimming pool. Hot water in the eco-cabins and for some of the
resort’s vehicles are solar-powered. Water efficient fittings are also installed
in showers and toilets. However, not all the appliances used by the resort are
energy efficient, such as refrigerators. Visitors who stay at the resort are
encouraged to monitor their water and energy usage via the in-house
television system, and are rewarded with prizes (such as a free return trip to
the resort) accordingly if their usage level is low.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
D We examined a case study of good management practice and a pro-active

sustainable tourism stance of an eco-resort. In three years of operation,
Couran Cove Island Resort has won 23 international and national awards,
including the 2001 Australian Tourism Award in the 4-Star Accommodation
category. The resort has embraced and has effectively implemented
contemporary environmental management practices. It has been argued that
the successful implementation of the principles of sustainability should
promote long-term social, economic and environmental benefits, while
ensuring and enhancing the prospects of continued viability for the tourism
enterprise. Couran Cove Island Resort does not conform to the
characteristics of the ResortDevelopmentSpectrum, as proposed by Prideaux
(2000). According to Prideaux, the resort should be at least at Phase 3 of the
model (the National tourism phase), which describes an integrated resort
providing 3-4 star hotel-type accommodation. The primary tourist market in
Phase 3 of the model consists mainly of interstate visitors. However, the
number of interstate and international tourists visiting the resort is small,
with the principal visitor markets comprising locals and residents from
nearby towns and the Gold Coast region. The carrying capacity of Couran
Cove does not seem to be of any concern to the Resort management. Given
that it is a private commercial ecotourist enterprise, regulating the number
of visitors to the resort to minimize damage done to the natural environment
on South Stradbroke Island is not a binding constraint. However, the
Resort’s growth will eventually be constrained by its carrying capacity, and
quantity control should be incorporated in the management strategy of the
resort.
Questions 27-31
Write your answers in boxes 27-31 on your answers sheet.
27 The Stradbroke became two islands
A by an intended destruction of the ship of the Cambus Wallace
B by an explosion of dynamite on a ship and following nature erosion
C by the movement sandhills on Stradbroke Island
D by the volcanic eruption on island
28 Why are laundry activities for the resort carried out on the mainland
A In order to obtain its water supply via a bore system
B In order to preserve the water and anti-pollution
C In order to save the cost of installing onerous washing machines
D In order to reduce the level of phosphates in water around
29 What is the major water supplier in South Stradbroke Island is by
A desalinizing the sea water
B collecting the rainfall

C transporting from the mainland
D boring ground water
30 What is applied for heating water on Couran Cove Island Resort
A the LPG-power
B a diesel-powered plant
C the wind power
D the solar-power
31 What does, as the managers of resorts believe, the prospective future

focus on
A more awards of for resort’s accommodation
B sustainable administration and development in a long run
C Economic and environmental benefits for the tourism enterprise
D successful implementation the Resort Development Spectrum
Questions 32-36
Complete the following summary of the Reading Passage, using NO

MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Being located away from the mainland, tourists can attain the resort only
by 32…………………… in a regular service. Within the resort, transports
include trails for walking or tracks for both 33…………………… and the beach
train. The on-island equipment is old-fashioned which is barely working
such as the 34…………………… overhead. There is television, radio, an
old 35…………………… and a small fridge. And you can buy the repellant
for 36…………………… if you forget to bring some.
Questions 37-39
Choose THREE correct letters among, A-E.
What is true as to the contemporary situation of Couran Cove Island R in the

last paragraph
A Couran Cove Island Resort goes for more eco-friendly practices.
B The accommodation standard only conforms to the Resort Development

Spectrum of Phase 3.
C Couran Cove Island Resort should raise the accommodation standard and
build more facilities.
D The principal group visiting the resort is international tourists.
E Its carrying capacity will restrict the future business’ expansion.
1 FALSE
2 NOT GIVEN
3 FALSE
4 NOT GIVEN
5 TRUE
6 TRUE
7 bamboo
8 cylinders
9 Piston
10 7
11 half an acre
12 corrugated tin
13 $37.5 million/37.5 million dollars
14 D
15 A
16 C
17 E
18 FALSE
19 TRUE
20 TRUE
21 FALSE
22 less
23 social
24 watched
25 observer
26 Nutcracker
27 B
28 B
29 D
30 D
31 B
32 ferry
33 bicycle
34 fan/ceiling fan
35 air conditioner
36 mosquitos/mosquito
37 A
38 C
39 E

Reading Passage 1

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READING PASSAGE 1

 IELTS Reading Practice Test 64 with Answer Key

In a self-imposed solitary confinement, 22-year old Tom Wonnacott, a

An over-abundance of noise has always been a significant environmental

An immense number of vehicles of various shapes and sizes are regularly

A lack of knowledge about the effects of noise pollution on humans in

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading

In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Noise pollution is a relatively new pollution.

Choose TWO letters, A-G.

Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the text?

A. increased ear sensitivity

B. reduced reaction time

C. increased aging of the body

G. increased blood pressure

Classify the following features as applying to

A. people from the USA

B. people from Ghana

C. both people from the USA and Ghana

Write the correct letter A, B or C, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.

10. individuals participated in a noise study

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 – 26 which are based

D. The unusual number of combs found in the area indicated to

E. Archaeologists are concerned with studying the environment of a past

Choose TWO letters, A-F.

Which TWO reasons are mentioned by the writer of the passage?

A. the complete absence of fires

C. the lack of oxygen in the soil

D. the organic composition of the artifacts

E. the abundance of decay bacteria

F. the combination of plants, wood chips and twigs in the area

Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer?

In boxes 16-21 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement agrees with the information in the

NO if the statement contradicts the information in the

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement in the

16. The archaeological findings in Jorvik are unusual.

Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

NB You may use any letter more than once.

22 examples of the types of industries in Jorvik

23 a reference to the material used in mid-10th century bedding in Jorvik

24 a reference to the number of Viking homes uncovered in Jorvik

25 a simple job definition

26 an example of an annoying type of insect

It is no small intellectual task that a child learns a language. In order to begin

Given the complexity of the process of language acquisition, the question of

Much of a child’s future social and intellectual development hinges upon

These examples of language learning, processing and producing, represent

Regardless of the methods employed, the acquisition of a language is not an

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.

27. According to the writer, an ‘internal language structure’

A. consists only of the alphabet.

B. is the starting point for communication.

C. comprises an infinite number of words.

D. is another term for linguistic comprehension.

28. The writer states that understanding a language occurs

A. once the learner understands the ‘basic building blocks’.

C. once the alphabet is learned.